


Sand In Your Shoes (Songfic)

by DistortionSoul



Category: Bandom, Hey Monday, VersaEmerge
Genre: Band Fic, Chaptered, F/F, Femslash, Fluff, Romance, Smut, Song fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-24
Updated: 2013-01-24
Packaged: 2017-11-26 16:54:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,809
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/652427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DistortionSoul/pseuds/DistortionSoul
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Cassadee meets a beautiful stranger at a party, she learns that romance can bloom in the most unexpected ways.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Your Beautiful Mouth

**Author's Note:**

> So here we have Cassadee of Hey Monday, hooking up with Sierra of VersaEmerge, in a fic based on a song by This Providence. It's like one big band crossover. With lesbians. Yay!!

Cassadee gazed around the room full of strangers and heaved another in a long line of sighs. How she had let Alex talk her into going to this party, she didn’t think she’d ever know. Something about friends of his in this area of Florida, and they’re awesome people, really, and she’d have a great time... Uh-huh, sure. From what Cassadee could tell, she was the only person at the party who wasn’t having fun.

Lowering her eyes to the cell phone she was gripping like a talisman against boredom, she opened it and closed it again to illuminate the screen so that she could check the time. Once again, only a minute had passed since she had last done so.

Just then, she felt a presence above her, and glanced up, expecting a boy she had no interest in, coming to flirt with her; it wouldn’t be a party without at least one.

However, what she saw instead was to save her entire night. It was a girl, about Cassadee’s age, looking down at her with two of the warmest brown eyes the singer had ever seen. There was an almost impish slant to the lines of the newcomer’s face, as they ran past a double-pierced, slightly upturned nose and resolved around subtly full lips, which broke into a grin when Cassadee looked up. Around this face was a veritable waterfall of chocolate hair, streaked here and there with caramel, cascading around her shoulders and down over much of her upper body to rest like a lion’s mane over her tanktop.

“Well, you look miserable,” the beautiful stranger declared cheerfully. “Wanna get out of here?” And with that, she held out one gracefully petite hand to help Cassadee up.

“Uh, sure,” Cassadee agreed, too flustered to really think about what she was doing as she took the proffered hand and stood up, vacating the chair she had retreated to sometime earlier. Once standing, she saw that she nearly matched her new companion in height - or lack thereof - and build. However, before she had barely two seconds to realized this, Cassadee was swept off through the crush of people toward the door, and she suddenly felt as if she was headed off on an adventure that would probably be almost entirely beyond her control. She couldn’t possibly have asked more of this night.

Once free of the noisy revelry of the house party, Cassadee’s savior dropped her hand but stayed slightly in front of her, leading her the short block down to the beach, their backs to the beginnings of sunset. “I’m Sierra, by the way.” The girl turned to flash another smile at Cassadee as they walked.

“Cassadee,” the other girl introduced herself shyly.

“What a beautiful name,” Sierra was saying, slowing now to match Cassadee’s pace as their sandal-clad feet sank into the silken sand of the beach.

“Thanks,” Cassadee replied, reaching down to pull off first one, then the other sandal as they walked; Sierra soon imitated the action.

“You’re welcome,” Sierra said, her sincerity flattering Cassadee; coming from someone as beautiful as this stranger, it truly was a compliment. “It suits you perfectly.”

Cassadee blushed at this. Was Sierra flirting with her?

Meanwhile, Sierra was still talking as the two girls headed down the beach, nearly deserted at this hour, gazing out over the glittering waves of the ocean. “What were you doing at that party in the first place?” Sierra asked. “It didn’t look like you were having much of a good time.”

Cassadee couldn’t help but smile at this. “My guitarist, Alex, convinced me to go. He wanted me to meet some of his friends here. But he ended up disappearing with them, and...I don’t really know anyone here, so...I was kinda abandoned.”

Sierra curled her lip into sympathetic disapproval; “That’s balls.”

This prompted a snort of laughter from Cassadee. “It is, it’s true.”

How had this night turned so completely around so suddenly? Less than ten minutes ago she’d been ready to shoot herself just for something to do, and now here she was, feeling the happiest she had in a long time, in the company of a gorgeous girl she didn’t even know.

“So, you say you’re in a band with this guy, Alex?” Sierra again pulled Cassadee out of her head with a question.

“Yeah, we’re called Hey Monday,” Cassadee spoke up excitedly now, seeing an opportunity to show off a bit for her companion. “I sing.”

“Rad,” Sierra seemed suitably impressed. Then, “Sing me something.”

“What?” That was unexpected.

“You heard me. Lemme get a taste of what you guys sound like.”

“Oh...OK...” Cassadee desperately searched her brain for a song that would sound alright a cappella. After a moment, she settled on one and, taking a deep breath, began, “The power lights went out, I am all alone. I don’t really care at all, not answering my phone...”

After a few more lyrics she stopped, feeling self-conscious. Looking sideways at Sierra, she saw the girl’s face practically aglow with excitement. “I know that song!” she exclaimed. “I think my guitarist, Blake, dragged me to a Hey Monday show once. I didn’t pay too much attention to the music, but I do remember their lead singer was hot.”

Cassadee wasn’t sure how to respond to that, so she just blushed again. Yes, she was definitely being flirted with. She wasn’t one to flirt back, but she did want to show Sierra that she was interested; the only way she could think to do that was to keep her talking. So she asked, “You’re in a band too?”

“VersaEmerge,” Sierra answered simply.

“What?” Cassadee wasn’t sure what to make of that.

“I know, right?” Sierra laughed. “Don’t ask me, the band was already named that when I joined it.”

“What on earth would a band with that kind of name sound like?” Cassadee wondered, daring to tease a bit now; Sierra was proving easy to feel comfortable around.

“Since our clock’s first tick,” Sierra sang gently in answer, “a dark hue and fear driven. It’s only real till it ends...”  
It was a beautiful melody, and Sierra’s voice wound around it in liquid tendrils, filling Cassadee with envy. Her own voice sounded like a little girl’s next to this talent.

“So I’m guessing you’re the vocalist,” Cassadee said when her companion had finished singing.

“I’m that good, huh?” Sierra teased, stopping suddenly and sitting down in the sand.

“You really are,” Cassadee enthused, sinking down beside her onto the ground, a few feet from the advancing ocean.

“Thanks,” Sierra replied, a hint of modest disbelief veiling her eyes now.

Slightly embarrassed by the effect she’d had on VersaEmerge’s singer, Cassadee lapsed into silence, both their eyes drifting out to where the velvet water cradled the last reflected glitter of the setting sun.

“So you and Alex,” Sierra began again at length, sounding more hesitant than she had all night. “There’s nothing going on between you two, is there? I mean, besides the band thing...”

“Oh no,” Cassadee assured her quickly, glancing over to see something akin to relief in Sierra’s eyes now. “No, boys aren’t really my thing, if you know what I mean.”

“I do,” Sierra agreed, her voice once again casual. “Boys are overrated.”

“They are,” Cassadee laughed softly, turning again, to hold Sierra’s gaze this time. “I much prefer girls.”

“So do I,” and suddenly Sierra’s eyes and voice were burning into Cassadee as she leaned in, a silent request on her face.

Feeling her heart pick up speed, Cassadee answered by leaning in until their lips met and her world was consumed by the kiss. It started slowly, as all first kisses must, but Sierra quickly accelerated it past such niceties, into the open-mouthed dance of two experienced kissers. Cassadee followed eagerly, passion igniting in her chest; Sierra’s mouth was wonderfully warm, and her tongue knew exactly what to do, and Cassadee never wanted their kiss to end.

And it didn’t, for blissfully eternal minutes. Their bodies drifted closer together as they kissed, arms winding around waists to pull each other in. Cassadee found herself practically climbing into Sierra’s lap, her body set ablaze with sudden desire for this girl she hardly knew. However, when Sierra’s hand slid up her side to gently cup one breast, Cassadee remembered herself and pulled away.

Sierra’s hand disappeared at once. “Sorry,” she murmured, her breathing as ragged as Cassadee’s from their embrace. “Too fast for you?”

“No,” Cassadee shook her head, trying to collect her thoughts. God no. More than anything she wanted Sierra’s hand there, and all over her, and without the annoyance of clothes between them...and it was precisely that desire that unnerved her; she’d never felt this strongly about someone she’d only just met, especially not anyone who seemed so ready to reciprocate. But how on earth could she tell that to such a willing, breathtakingly beautiful partner? So she blurted the first excuse she could think of. “Maybe we shouldn’t...do this out in public, you know?”

Thankfully, Sierra merely laughed at her concern and teased, “There’s not much of a public here to see us, but OK. If you’re shy, we can head back to my apartment. It’s just like another block down the beach.”

Gratefully, Cassadee got up and began following where Sierra led. This would at least let her think things over a bit.

“You’re awful quiet all of a sudden,” Sierra commented a minute later.

“It’s just...” and Cassadee knew there was no turning back now. Taking another deep breath to steady herself, she forced herself to speak. “I mean...I don’t usually...do this, with strangers and I’m not...I dunno, I’m not quite comfortable with it, I guess.”

It was a pathetic explanation of how she felt, but Sierra seemed to understand. “It’s cool,” she responded. “We can take it slow. I’ll show you my apartment and we’ll see how things go from there.”

“Thanks,” Cassadee smiled shyly at Sierra. She was ashamed, suddenly, of her cold feet; her worries really seemed immature to her, and besides, she had no time for them - she only had a couple days left in Florida before her band left for tour. But she was endlessly grateful for Sierra’s patience with her.

The rest of the walk to Sierra’s apartment - along the beach and up to the fourth floor of the clean, sparsely decorated apartment building - passed with Sierra lightheartedly attempting to reestablish casual conversation. Cassadee joined in eagerly; she was anxious to forget the awkward moment she’d created. And by the time Sierra fitted the key into the lock of her apartment door, Cassadee was beginning to feel as though she knew the girl, at least a bit.

“Ta da!” Sierra swung the door back a moment later and stepped aside to let Cassadee into her home. It was a beautiful apartment, filled with warm wooden tones, the walls and tabletops decorated with tribal-style artifacts and the furniture plush and comfortable-looking. Dominating the main room of the apartment was a huge, soft, heavenly-looking bed. A guitar rested quietly on a stand beside the glass doors leading out to the balcony, which overlooked a spectacular beach vista.

“Wow!” Cassadee exclaimed. “This is incredible! How do you afford it?”

“AlI can say,” Sierra replied dryly, “is that a well-paying day job goes a long way.”

“I can see that,” Cassadee laughed.

She then turned back to what had first caught her attention, especially with the remnants of her earlier impassioned mood still clinging to her - the bed. “This looks fabulous,” she commented, approaching it and testing it with one hand. Her hand sank into the quilted bedspread as if it was made of cloud. “Mind if I try it out?” she asked, turning to Sierra.

“Be my guest.” The owner of the apartment was standing against the door frame, an amused smirk across her face; now she moved forward, the door closing behind her. “Or, if you want,” her tone was teasingly seductive, “I could help you test out what that bed was really meant for.”

“That might not be a bad idea,” Cassadee returned, desire reigniting in her now that her fears seemed far away and silly to her reassured mind. As she spoke, she dropped her sandals, which she had been carrying this whole time, and lowered herself onto the bed. Her composure was soon shattered, though, when the bed nearly swallowed her whole; she let out a shriek as the mattress sank beneath her and the bedspread billowed up to embrace her, throwing her off balance and causing her to fall over backward onto the bed. She must’ve sunk a good few inches into the fabric before she came to a rest.

By this time, of course, Sierra was in a giggling fit.

“What?” Cassadee asked instinctively, sitting back up with some difficulty, though she already knew very well what the answer would be.

Sierra shook her head, as if to clear away the laughter so she could speak. “You look so tiny!” she exclaimed at last. “My bed’s eating you!”

This set Cassadee off laughing as well. “I’m no smaller than you!” she protested. “Come here, see if it doesn’t eat you too!”

And as Sierra neared the bed, Cassadee, feeling playful now, reached up to grab her arm, pulling her down on top of her and losing them both to another fit of shrieks and giggles. When this died away and all that was left was smiles, in keeping with the mood swings of the whole night, a quiet sensuality crept in around the edges of their proximity. Sierra acknowledged this a moment later by leaning in to seal Cassadee’s lips in another kiss. Cassadee responded readily, wrapping her arms around Sierra’s slender frame and losing her fingers in the luxury of her hair as the kiss deepened.

As Sierra propped herself up on her elbows above Cassadee, her long hair cascaded around Cassadee’s face and shoulders. It was like silk, heavenly caresses to a girl who had lived with short hair for so many years. She wanted to feel it on her chest and stomach, give a taste to skin that, even if she let her locks grow out, would rarely get to experience that sensation.

To this end, her inhibitions all but gone by now, Cassadee detangled her arms from Sierra to begin pulling off her shirt. Sierra caught on immediately and reached to help; soon both girls were left in bras only.

“Cute,” Sierra murmured, bringing one hand up to tease the leopard-printed, lace-lined fabric covering Cassadee’s breasts.

But Cassadee was beyond a verbal response; now that she had pushed her fears aside, she had no desire for words, however few. All she wanted was to feel Sierra’s lips on hers, her hands on her body. So her only reply was to arch her body up, pressing her breast into Sierra’s hand, and simultaneously seeking out Sierra’s lips with her own until they were once again properly entwined.

Meanwhile, Sierra’s fingers slipped under the silken fabric of Cassadee’s bra, teasing her in all the right ways. Cassadee murmured her appreciation around the kiss, moving into the caress and, in the process, causing Sierra’s hair to brush over her bare chest, perfecting the experience.

Although Cassadee could gladly have continued like this indefinitely, Sierra broke their kiss at length, her hand still against Cassadee’s skin. “You feeling better about all of this?” Sierra asked. Though her tone of voice held nothing but concern for Cassadee’s wellbeing, her eyes clearly begged her to say yes.

“Yeah,” Cassadee breathed the reply.

“You think we could...?” Sierra’s hand wandered to the waistline of Cassadee’s shorts, silently finishing the question.

Cassadee hesitated. This was where her comfort zone ended, at least for the night. There was only so much intimacy she could bring herself to with a girl she had only just met. “Maybe,” she stumbled over her response, “...not tonight, OK? I’m sorry, I...”

As she trailed off, Sierra kissed her gently, just under her jaw. “It’s OK, really,” she whispered. “I understand.” And with that, she settled herself into the bed beside Cassadee, taking the other girl into her arms.

“I’m really sorry,” Cassadee couldn’t help repeating. “I should’ve warned you, I can be a real prude sometimes.”

Sierra laughed softly at this. “I promise you, I understand,” she assured her almost-lover. “I can be patient when I need to be.” And then she kissed Cassadee on the forehead and, more lingeringly, on the mouth, before murmuring, “Get some sleep, it’s late.”

Cassadee couldn’t help but smile at this, assured by Sierra’s words. “Good night,” she whispered, and they both soon closed their eyes to the world, unconscious in each other’s arms.


	2. With The Windows Rolled Down

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter two of the cuteness. Oh, and Blake naming his van and being overprotective of it was my friend's idea. I take no credit for that little tidbit of plot. :p

The next morning, Cassadee was the first to awaken. Brushing aside the silken blanket of Sierra’s hair that had settled over her as she slept, she eased herself out of the bed and wandered toward the patio, picking up her shirt as she went.

Outside, the sun was already high above the beach below, scattering diamonds across the waves as a caressing breeze washed Cassadee’s face in a salty scent. It was a glorious day, even more so when viewed from an unfamiliar vantage point, just barely separated from an exhilerating newfound intimacy.

Suddenly moved to poetry by the mood of the morning, Cassadee crept briefly back inside for Sierra’s guitar, closing the sliding glass patio doors behind her when she returned to the deck. Forgoing a pick and muting the strings as best she could to keep them quiet, she quickly checked that they were in tune before beginning on a chord progression. She soon had a simple melody established, and began murmuring lyrics over it:

“You’re the direction I followed to get home. When I feel like I can’t go on, you tell me to go...”

It was a love song, of course - half fiction but, inevitably, half simply a poeticized version of what she was feeling at the moment. The words flowed freely from her, but just as they started to slow - as lyrics often did near the middle of the song - Cassadee felt a pair of skinny arms slide around her, and gentle lips on her neck.

“Good morning my little songwriter,” Sierra whispered in Cassadee’s ear.

“Did I wake you up?” Cassadee asked, leaning into Sierra’s continued kisses.

“Maybe.” More kisses. “But I never mind being woken up by music.”

Smiling, Cassadee turned her head to receive Sierra’s lips with her own, leaning back in the deck chair she’d settled into. There they stayed for a good while, lapping up each other’s kisses, until Cassadee had to break the kiss for the sake of her neck.

“So,” Sierra circled Cassadee until she could settle into a chair facing her, “can I hear the song you were working on, or is it sensitive material?”

“It’s,” Cassadee began, suddenly self-conscious, “...not really...I dunno, it’s nothing, really...” She set aside the guitar as she spoke, hoping that nonchalance would turn the subject away from it. She’d never liked sharing unpolished - especially unfinished - material, no matter how receiving the audience may be.

“It’s cool,” Sierra caught onto this immediately - ah, the advantage of having met another musician - and changed the subject. “Are you hungry? I’m starving. Shall we see what we can find for breakfast around here?”

“Sure,” Cassadee agreed readily. “As long as you have eggs, we’re good. I make a mean omelette.”

“What, does it attack you from the plate? I’m not sure I wanna eat that...”

Laughing together at the lame joke, the girls headed inside to eat. Over their meal - which Cassadee insisted on treating Sierra to entirely, as a small repentance for last night - the two girls talked for a time that quickly stretched into hours; it was well into afternoon by the time Cassadee thought to call Alex and apologize for abandoning him at the party. By then, she had told Sierra most of her life story - her band, her previous relationships, as well as the usual random anecdotes from her past - and had learned much of Sierra’s life as well. She was beginning to feel like she’d known the younger girl for weeks, rather than hours.

A smile still painting her face from their recent conversation, Cassadee stepped back out onto the patio to call Alex; she didn’t want to spend more time than necessary inside on a day like this. Pulling out her cell phone, which had spent the night in her pocket, she leaned against the railing to call her guitarist. Even the day after a party, surely he’d be up by now.

Sure enough, after a few rings, Alex picked up. “Hey Cass, what’s up?”

“Oh, nothing. Just wanted to tell you I’m sorry for abandoning you last night. Hope you weren’t too bored without me.” Cassadee gazed out over the sparkling ocean as she spoke.

Alex chuckled. “Don’t worry about it. I saw you sneaking out with a cute girl and figured you wouldn’t be back before the party ended.”

Cassadee smiled. It was her theory that her bandmates thought she was far less innocent than she actually was. Sure she’d gone home with - and, as last night, made out with - her share of pretty girls, but she didn’t do one-night stands, contrary to what her bandmates probably suspected.

“So what’s her name?” Alex asked, pulling Cassadee out of her thoughts.

“Sierra,” Cassadee replied, almost sighing the name. How quickly she seemed to have fallen for this girl!

Alex heard the wistful tone in her voice immediately. “Easy, Cass,” he cautioned, “we leave for tour in a few days. Don’t get too attached.”

This time Cassadee’s sigh was of a different kind. “Don’t remind me...”

“Not to make you all depressed,” Alex backtracked immediately. “Go enjoy the time you do have. I’m just saying...”

“Thanks.” Cassadee knew that her bandmate’s intentions were good.

“Yeah. See ya tomorrow for practice, Cass.”

“See ya.” And she hung up, shoving her phone back into her pocket as she headed back inside.

“Checking in with Mommy?” Sierra teased when Cassadee reentered the apartment.

“Sort of,” Cassadee allowed. “Just making sure no one thinks I got attacked or anything.”

“Oh, I’d never attack you, don’t worry,” Sierra assured her. Then a fierce, playful glint sparked in her eye. “Unless you wanted me to...”

“Easy, girl,” Cassadee giggled, approaching the armchair that Sierra had strewn herself across. “That won’t be necessary. When I’m ready, I’ll come willingly enough.”

Sierra smiled deliciously as Cassadee leaned over her for another of their countless kisses. “You bet you will,” the younger girl purred, just before their lips met, “I’ll make sure of that.”

Cassadee didn’t bother replying - her tongue was too eager for Sierra’s mouth to be bothered with forming words. She soon found herself climbing, for the second time in twenty-four hours, into Sierra’s lap; she’d decided she quite liked it there.

And Sierra seemed to agree - even after their kisses stilled into cuddles, Sierra wound her arms almost protectively around Cassadee, who had curled up contentedly on top of her younger companion.

“So, what do you wanna do today?” Cassadee asked at length.

“You mean, besides make out with you?” Sierra replied with a contented sigh.

“Yes, besides that,” Cassadee urged. “It’s too beautiful of a day to stay inside and make out! We should at least go outside and make out.”

Sierra snorted. “Freak out the homophobes, huh?”

“Something like that.”

“Hmmm...” Sierra waxed thoughtful - whether seriously or teasingly, it was hard to tell - before perking up. “I’ve got it! I know the perfect spot to spend the rest of the day! We’re gonna need transportation, though...”

* * * *

“Um...are we gonna go steal a car or something?” Cassadee asked, hurrying to catch up to Sierra, who was striding purposefully up the street away from the beach.  She’d dragged Cassadee out of the apartment with little explanation, only a determined air of excitement.

“Not exactly,” Sierra said in answer to Cassadee’s question. “Depends on your definition of stealing, really.”

This brought an edge of true wariness to Cassadee’s mood. “Uh...grand theft auto?”

Sierra actually laughed aloud. “No! Relax, sweetie, we’re just gonna borrow the van from Blake.”

“Lola?” Cassadee asked, remembering Sierra’s stories of how much her lead guitarist loved their van, even going so far as to name it. “Are you sure he’s gonna let us?”

“Probably not,” Sierra shrugged. “Thus, we might have to - kinda - steal it.”

“Uh...huh.” Cassadee raised an eyebrow but left it at that. After all, Blake was not her bandmate to deal with if things turned bad.

So when, about five blocks into town, Sierra turned toward the entrance to another apartment building, Cassadee was still right behind her. Sierra rang the buzzer for what Cassadee assumed was Blake’s apartment, and a moment later a voice crackled over the intercom. “Yo, who is it?”

“It’s Sierra,” Blake’s bandmate replied into the intercom. “Let us up.”

“Us?” came the fuzzy reply.

“Yes, us. As in me and my new girlfriend.”

“Another new one?”

“Just let us in.”

Then, “Don’t listen to him,” Sierra explained dryly as she moved to open the now-unlocked door. “He’ll make it sound like I have a new girlfriend every week, but I don’t. It’s more like every two or three weeks.”

Cassadee smiled obligingly, never doubting Sierra’s fidelity. She understood that, especially as teenagers, relationships weren’t likely to last too long.

From the front entrance to the building, they made their way up to the second floor, Cassadee following Sierra down the hall almost to the end, where a tall, lanky brunette was waiting for them in the doorway of his apartment. He greeted them with a smile that, Cassadee suspected, would’ve charmed her if she swung that way.

“Hey Sierra,” the boy called as they approached. “Hey Sierra’s girlfriend.”

“She has a name, you know,” the younger girl chastised Blake good-naturedly. “Blake, this is Cassadee. Cassadee, Blake.”

“Hi Cassadee,” Blake amended, nodding at his new acquaintance before stepping aside to free up the doorway. “Well, come on in, I guess.”

“Don’t worry, we won’t stay long,” Sierra assured the guitarist as the two girls passed him into the smallish, cozy-looking apartment - which appeared, Cassadee noticed, to be filled mostly with various bits of audio-recording technology. “We just need a favor.”

“I don’t like the sound of that.” But Blake was smiling as he circled back to the front of the girls.

“Oh come on, when have I ever asked you for something that I shouldn’t?” Sierra asked, her voice heavily teasing.  
Blake laughed. “Do you want the list?”

“OK fine, but I promise this one isn’t that bad. We just wanna borrow Lola for the day, maybe overnight.”

“No. Absolutely not.” The reply was almost immediate.

“C’mon, please Blake?” Sierra whined, jutting out her lower lip for effect. Cassadee had a hard time believing that anyone could resist puppy eyes like those.

But the boy shook his head, resolute. “Nope. Not gonna happen.”

“Please?” Sierra wheedled. “I wanna show Cassadee our secret hideaway.”

“Well, you’ll have to find another way to get there. Lola’s staying with me.”

“But Cassadee really wants to see this place! Don’t you, Cass?”

“Oh no,” Cassadee put her hands up in defense. “I’m staying out of this one. You’re the one arguing, not me.”

“Fine,” Sierra huffed, turning back to Blake.

And thus the argument continued for several minutes. Cassadee was content to sit back and watch with amusement; Sierra was incredibly cute when she was frustrated.

Finally, though - Cassadee wasn’t entirely sure how, though she gathered it had something to do with photos that had been taken of Blake drunk - Sierra managed a victory. Blake caved and retreated to the other side of the room to get the van’s keys. “Men,” Sierra turned to Cassadee to say, “they’re not that hard to figure out.”

“I heard that,” Blake’s face and voice were playfully scornful as he returned, dropping the keys into Sierra’s expectant palm. “And I expect her back in one piece. If there’s even one scratch on her that she didn’t leave with, I’m holding you responsible. Got it?”

“Got it,” Sierra confirmed, rolling her eyes at the older girl. “Now come on, let’s go! We’re burnin daylight!”

“Nice to meet you,” Cassadee tossed at Blake, who waved back as the two girls hurried out of the apartment.

Once outside the building again, Sierra led the way to a burgundy van near the middle of the parking lot. “Meet Lola,” she said, gesturing grandly at the vehicle.

“She’s...” Cassadee had no idea what to say. It was a van. That was it. Blake’s obsession was a complete mystery to her.

“Loved,” Sierra finished for her, unlocking the doors.

“That works,” Cassadee agreed, climbing into the passenger seat as Sierra slipped behind the wheel. As they pulled out of the parking lot and started in the direction of the highway, Cassadee looked behind her at the rest of the van’s interior.

“It’s spotless!” she exclaimed, taking in the complete absence of garbage and other tour residue between the clean seats.

Sierra laughed appreciatively. “Daddy takes good care of Lola,” she commented. “Blake spends like three days cleaning this thing out after every tour.”

Cassadee nodded. That would explain it.

Meanwhile, the van turned onto the highway, heading north up the coast, soon leaving the city behind. As the buildings fell away, the vistas outside the windows opened up for eternities in every direction, all blazingly lit by a sundrenched blue sky. Wherever Sierra was driving them, it was sure to be beautiful. Which reminded Cassadee:

“Where exactly are we going?” she asked, having to yell over the combined volume of the windows, opened to the cool winds of their speed, and the music blaring out of the van’s sound system.

“You’ll see,” Sierra replied with an enigmatic grin, her hair framing her face in a wild, windblown halo as she glanced over at the older girl.

Cassadee rolled her eyes and turned her gaze back out to the scenery rolling by. She hadn’t really been expecting more of an answer than that; she was beginning to suspect that Sierra often whisked people of onto impromptu adventures like this. She liked it.

Just then, though, Cassadee was distracted by the opening bars of a familiar song on the radio. Lady Gaga’s “Just Dance” had just come on the station Sierra had put on. “I love this song!” Cassadee laughed, turning up the volume even farther.

This drew a skeptically amused glance from Sierra. “You like Gaga?”

“Yeah, I love her! I didn’t mention that?”

“No, you forgot that part... But dude, I love her too!”

And then the lyrics came in, and both girls were singing at the top of their lungs. The two girls’ voices wove around and over Lady Gaga’s recorded vocals, harmonizing and improvising here and there; Sierra even danced as best she could without running the car off the road.

Then the song ended, and as the station cut to commercials, Cassadee wound the volume knob down. “We sounded pretty good!” she commented, a grin plastered to her face now.

Sierra returned it with just as much enthusiasm. “We did!” she exclaimed. “Maybe we should record a duet sometime.”

Cassadee couldn’t help a mild blush at the idea of that; her mind leapt irrationally to the love song she had begun writing that morning.

Just as she began seriously contemplating the possibility of them singing it together, though, Cassadee felt the van slowing down. Looking up, she saw Sierra turning them onto a dirt road leading down toward the beach. “Are we here?” the older girl asked, curiosity rising within her.

“We are here,” Sierra confirmed, just as they rounded a gentle curve in the road and parked practically right on the sand of a breathtaking patch of beach.


	3. Dance On The Coast

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Very very slight warning for very very slight coercion/non-con in this chapter.

The little chunk of coastline onto which Sierra had just driven was surrounded on three sides by low, sandy cliffs whose faces reached just high enough into the sky to give an illusion of complete isolation. The road curved out of sight a short way up the slope leading to the highway - which was far enough away not to be noticed when the occasional car did appear along it - and was forgotten. And in front of the two girls stretched that immeasurably vast, unimaginably ancient, ever present, ever changing expanse known as the ocean.

When Cassadee got out of the van, she spent a good few minutes in awe of the spot, simply drinking it all in. The omnipresent marine wind blew salt into every inhale and swept her hair into a dance around her face, filling every sense until she was practically bursting from the perfection of it all.

“So,” Sierra prompted, joining Cassadee in the sand, “what do you think?”

When Cassadee turned to her companion, she was sure it was with all her amazement written clearly across her face. “It’s gorgeous,” she murmured. That didn’t even begin to describe it, but it was all she could come up with at the moment.

“I knew you’d love it,” Sierra’s answering smile was radiant with excitement. “Come on, that cliff up there is the perfect height for diving!”

“Um...” Cassadee wasn’t sure she was entirely comfortable with the implications of that, but, too shy to protest outright, she mirrored Sierra in kicking off her sandals beside the van and running along the short stretch of beach to the aforementioned cliff.

Once they began the climb up its side, the two girls slowed down somewhat, but the ascent was short, and the slope gradual enough that they were merely winded by the time they achieved the top.

If Cassadee had thought the view from the beach had been glorious, from up here it was absolutely breathtaking. Visibility stretched away to civilization on each horizon, but in between and around them were miles of uninterrupted nature.

However, before she could admire this view for long, she saw Sierra suddenly rushing forward to the end of the cliff and, without a moment’s hesitation, launching herself over it, still fully dressed. In a moment she disappeared from sight, and Cassadee heard her elated cry, followed shortly by a splash, barely audible above the roar of the waves.

Fearing, despite herself, for the safety of her would-be lover, Cassadee hurried along the cliff and stopped where Sierra had not, at the edge. Peering over it into the crystalline water, Cassadee saw Sierra safely treading water, swimming backward every once in a while to keep herself at a distance from the cliff face as she waited for Cassadee to join her.

“You’re crazy!” Cassadee called down, causing the younger girl to look up.

“I know,” she replied with a grin. “Come join me!”

“I don’t know about this...” Cassadee countered, voicing her apprehensions for the first time.

“Oh, come on,” Sierra was wheedling again. “It’s fun! This is barely even cliff-diving anyway - this thing isn’t really tall enough to be a cliff.”  
Cassadee just rolled her eyes, backing away from the edge of the cliff a ways. Then she took a few steadying breaths, shook her head at the stupidity of what she was about to do - and to clear her mind of the parallels she couldn’t help but draw between her present situation and that fateful scene in the second book of the Twilight series - and before she could change her mind, threw herself forward into a run.

As the ground ran out and her body tumbled into open air, she squeezed her eyes shut, a scream tearing from her throat; it barely ended in time for her to draw in a breath before she was plunged underwater. Before the current could roll her over and confuse her sense of direction, she kicked hard for the surface, breaking it a moment later and shaking the salt water from her eyes, all smiles.

“What did I tell you?” Sierra gloated from a short distance away.

“That was amazing!” Cassadee replied, soaring on adrenaline, her fear from a minute before all but forgotten. “Let’s do it again!”

And so they did - the two girls ran back up the cliff, leaving a trail of sodden footsteps along the beach behind them and, barely slowing down even as they ran out of land, plunged once again toward the choppy waters. This time they’d jumped hand in hand, and Cassadee gripped Sierra’s slender fingers in her own until they were torn apart by the force of their collision with the water.

As Cassadee broke the surface of the ocean once again, even before she could open her eyes, she felt a hand on her shoulder and heard a mock-panicked cry of, “Cassadeeeeeeee!!”

“Sierraaaaaaaaaaaa!!” she replied, reaching blindly for her companion as she attempted to blink the salt water from her eyes. When her vision did clear at last, it was to the sight of Sierra’s brilliantly illuminated face, sparkling with laughter and flecks of ocean, and Cassadee couldn’t help but return the laugh.

“Again?” Sierra asked when their laughter had died away, and Cassadee nodded eagerly in response. So, hurrying back toward land, the girls took hands again as soon as their feet hit sand, and began their third trip toward the cliff. Thus the afternoon turned to evening, the two running and playing in the sand between dives off the edge of the world into the salty blue yonder.

Finally, Cassadee slogged out of the ocean one last time and collapsed onto the ground, too weak-limbed from exhaustion to continue on like this any longer. Sierra soon joined her, still all smiles as she settled onto the sand beside the older girl.

“So, what do you think of my little getaway spot?” Sierra asked.

“It’s fabulous,” Cassadee replied earnestly. Then, “Does it include dinner?” For, she had just realized, it must be getting close to dinner time. They’d woken up late enough to forgo lunch altogether, and now, as the sun began to sink behind the cliff walls surrounding them, her stomach was prompting her to find something for their evening meal.

“Why yes, in fact, it does,” Sierra answered Cassadee’s inquiry, surprising the older girl, who had been half joking when she’d asked.

However, Sierra was already leading the way back across the sand to where the van was parked; Cassadee dragged herself up to follow, curious. When the girls reached the van, Sierra immediately opened the trunk and began rooting through it - it turned out to be the only cluttered space in the vehicle. “Do you guys store food in this thing?” Cassadee asked, amused.

“Yeah, we do, actually,” came the muffled reply. “We come out here a lot to chill and spend the night between tours - “ at this point Sierra reemerged, brandishing a somewhat worn-looking cardboard box, victory written across her face, “ - so we always come prepared.”

“Nice,” Cassadee smiled approvingly, reaching out to open the box, curious as to what sort of meal she was about to be treated to. It turned out not to be much in terms of real food - mostly chips, trail mix, and other nonperishables that could survive for extended periods of time in the trunk of a van - but they were both hungry enough that they ate heartily of what was available.

When they were finished, Sierra folded the back of the rearmost bench down so that they could make a nest in the back of the van. This they did by moving everything in the trunk onto one of the frontward benches - except for the blankets and pillows which were stored there for just such occasions, and which they spread across the back of the van.

“You’ve got this down to a science, huh?” Cassadee commented, impressed, as Sierra tweaked the bedspread to perfection.

The younger girl chuckled at this. “I guess so,” she admitted, crawling over to join Cassadee, who had curled herself up against one wall of the van. “But you’ll learn. Trust me, we’ll be doing this a lot.”

This caught Cassadee aback; she realized she hadn’t even considered the possibility of a stable future with Sierra. She knew they only had two - now one, she thought, shooting a disheartened glance at the setting sun - days together before Hey Monday was back on the road, and then...

“What?” Sierra was searching into Cassadee’s face when the older girl looked back - she’d obviously caught onto the faraway look in the older girl’s eye.

“Nothing,” Cassadee shook her head, cursing herself for bringing the mood down again. “It’s just...my band leaves for tour the day after tomorrow, and...well, you know how it is. Relationships don’t really...”

“...Survive tour,” Sierra finished for her. “Yeah, I know how that goes. But listen, that’s why this’ll work so perfectly - we both understand how it is. We can wait for each other, because we know it’ll be worth it, where other girls would get impatient and leave. Right?” And here Sierra smiled into Cassadee’s eyes, as if coaxing her to do the same.

Relenting, the older girl smiled weakly back, somewhat reassured. “I guess you’re right.” And it was true. Sierra was a touring musician, she got it. She would wait for Cassadee, and Cassadee would, in turn, wait for Sierra. It would be hard, it would be lonely, as with any long-distance relationship, but the understanding bred by their shared passion for music would pull them through.

“Atta girl,” Sierra teased gently, leaning in for a kiss. This Cassadee returned with gusto, encouraging Sierra into her lap for a change; the younger girl was soon straddling the older, long strands of hair once again surrounding Cassadee’s face. Sierra’s hands sought out the fabric of Cassadee’s shirt - and then she broke off the kiss with a pout.

“What?” Cassadee asked, already out of breath from the kiss.

“You dry off too fast,” Sierra complained. “I was hoping to have an excuse to get you out of your clothes.”

Cassadee grinned long-sufferingly at this and relented to her companion’s hinting, saying, “Well, I suppose you’ll have to make do without an excuse...”

Sierra was grinning wickedly now, already reaching to help Cassadee out of her shirt. Cassadee responded in kind, and the two girls were soon left in just bras and panties. Even this didn’t seem enough for Sierra, though - feverishly now, she reached to unhook Cassadee’s bra. The older girl hesitated, but only momentarily, before she was helping her younger lover remove both their bras. Whether it was increased comfort level with Sierra or merely increased desire, Cassadee’s modesty seemed to have retreated into a distant corner of herself for now.

At that moment, though, Sierra seemed to remember herself, and so exerted herself to slow the pace a bit. Delicately, her lips trailing along Cassadee’s jaw and coming to rest where her breath gusted against the older girl’s neck, Sierra brought her right hand up to cup Cassadee’s bare left breast. The older girl’s breathing hitched, then fluttered on as Sierra’s hand passed over her breast. She closed her eyes and surrendered to the sensation as Sierra, this time with one finger, retraced the curve of her flesh from the top, ending the motion by skating her fingertip off of Cassadee’s erect nipple.

In the momentary pause this left, Sierra whispered into Cassadee’s ear, “How ya feeling, missy?”

“Don’t stop,” was all Cassadee could think to say; she had begun to lose herself to the feel of Sierra’s hands on her skin.

Sierra murmured her approval - Cassadee could almost hear her smirk - before she lowered her lips to Cassadee’s neck, her shoulder, her collarbone, and finally, the gentle swell of her breast. Here Sierra’s tongue flicked out to tease Cassadee’s nipple, tearing a moan from the older girl’s throat - then another, and another, as Sierra’s tongue and teeth continued to tease, eventually moving to Cassadee’s other breast as well.

At length, Sierra, breathing nearly as hard as Cassadee at this point, paused to reach for the older girl’s panties. And once again, this was where Cassadee’s comfort zone ended. “Um...” she began, reaching to stop the younger girl’s hand.

As Sierra looked up to meet her eyes, Cassadee’s embarrassment immediately amplified into chagrin and shame. The desire in the younger girl’s eyes could very well have burned right through Cassadee as she whispered, “Please, Cass?”

The older girl could hardly bring herself to shake her head. “I’m so sorry,” she said. “I know I keep taking all this attention from you and withholding everything in return, but I just...give me a little more time, OK?”

Sierra bit her lip, searching Cassadee’s face and looking as if she wanted either to protest, or forcefully strip the older girl against her will. But at last she nodded tightly and, without saying a word, got off of Cassadee, grabbed her shirt, and and left the van before the older girl could stop her.

“Damn it,” Cassadee whispered to herself as, a moment later, Sierra could be seen through the window, wandering across the beach. “Cass, you prude, don’t mess this up. She’s too wonderful. Why do you keep pulling away like this?” But she had no answer for herself. And with that, she gave up, lying down across the back of the van and, not even bothering to put her shirt back on, tried to settle into sleep.

* * * * *

Cassadee woke up the next morning still alone in the back of the van. Concerned now as to exactly how angry she’d made Sierra, she dressed quickly and left the van to search for her almost-lover. A precursory glance down the beach revealed the younger girl sitting atop a large boulder a short distance away, now fully clothed as well, gazing out to sea.

Somewhat hesitantly, Cassadee scaled the boulder to take a seat beside Sierra. “Morning,” the younger girl mumbled, barely looking up at the appearance of company.

“Morning,” Cassadee replied automatically, then sighed, looking for a place to begin her apology. Long moments passed in silence until, fearing that her courage might leave her if she delayed any longer, Cassadee began, “Look, about last night - “

“Cass - “ Sierra cut in, but Cassadee stopped her. Now that she’d begun talking, she felt a need to speak fully what was on her mind.

“About last night,” she repeated, “I’m really sorry. I really am. I mean, you must be so frustrated right now - you seem like you’re used to girls who are OK with...with having sex the first time you take them home, and I’m...” She trailed into silence, not sure of what else to say.

In response, Sierra wrapped one arm securely around Cassadee’s shoulders before speaking. “Don’t beat yourself up about it, hon,” she said. “You are who you are, and you’re not ashamed to defend that. That’s more than I can say about most of the girls I take home. And hey, most of those girls end up as nothing more in my mind than a talented tongue and a wet pussy.”

Cassadee smiled despite herself, flushing slightly at Sierra’s blunt choice of words.

“But you,” the younger girl continued, “you are something different altogether. You stick up for yourself, and that’s something a lot of those girls need to learn to do. Doesn’t mean I wasn’t still mad as hell last night,” Sierra added with a chuckle, “but I know the choice of how far we go is yours to make.”

Cassadee shook her head as she snuggled into Sierra’s embrace. “Aren’t I supposed to be the older, wiser one here?” she teased. “How do you always have the perfect perspective on everything?”

“Hey, don’t feel too bad,” Sierra teased back. “I need someone to give all my good advice to, otherwise it’s useless.”

Cassadee laughed softly, her mood effectively lightened. “I’ll try to be less of a prude from now on, thought,” she was compelled to promise.

“I said don’t beat yourself up about it,” Sierra repeated. “You’re forgiven, let it go. Now, what do you wanna do today?”

That’s when Cassadee remembered, and bolted upright on the rock. “What time is it?” she demanded. “I have band practice today, we’re leaving for tour tomorrow, I - “ But the rest of her sentence was cut off as the realization crashed over her all over again that she only had one more full day with Sierra.

“Hey,” the younger girl urged, sensing her companion’s distress, “don’t think too hard about it. Let’s just get you to practice. I wanna see you do your thing.”

Attempting to smile at this, Cassadee followed Sierra down off the rock and back across the sand to the van. “If we have time,” the older girl added as they walked, “can we run by my apartment so I can change? I feel like I’ve been wearing the same clothes for like forever...”

“Sure,” Sierra agreed laughingly. “I wanna see what other cute stuff you got in your closet.”


	4. Heartbreak Didn't Stop Me (From Falling For You)

After both Cassadee and Sierra had changed into clean clothes - for Cassadee, the only outfit she could assemble out of the few items of clothing she hadn’t yet packed - Cassadee directed her companion to the converted warehouse, one room of which the band collectively rented as a practice space. They pulled in behind the Hey Monday van just as the rest of the band was unloading their equipment to bring it into the warehouse.

“Hey Cass!” Alex was the first to pause what he was doing and hail their vocalist. “We were taking bets on if you were gonna show up!”

“Very funny,” Cassadee called back, slipping her hand into Sierra’s as they approached the guys, the rest of whom had gathered to greet the girls by now. “You know I’d never abandon you this close to tour.”

“Not even for a girl?” Mike chimed in. “Which, by the way, does your new girl have a name or what?”

“Guys, this is Sierra,” Cassadee answered. “Sierra, this is Mike, Alex, Jersey, and Elliot.”

Once the proper formalities had been exchanged, everyone resumed the unpacking of Hey Monday’s equipment, Sierra even insisting on helping with the task.  Between the six of them, they soon had a full stage set up in the spacious, largely empty room which served as their practice space.

As the band members took their places - almost automatically facing the nonexistent audience - Sierra settled in, standing expectantly with arms casually folded, to await the show.

Cassadee couldn’t help being a bit nervous as she took her place behind the mic - she was always apprehensive the first time she performed in front of a girlfriend, especially a fellow vocalist like Sierra. However, as the rest of the band kicked into “Run, Don’t Walk” - the first song in their set - Cassadee did her best to swallow her nerves and lose herself in the song. It didn’t work too well at first, but by the time they started into Obvious, she was beginning to enjoy her constant awareness of Sierra’s presence in front of her. It was a chance to show off a bit, and she couldn’t help but launch into a few vocal acrobatics she might not have tried otherwise. Sierra was immensely supportive, cheering and dancing around the room until the entire band was all smiles. It was one of the most fun band practices they’d ever had.

Even during Candles, their only slow song of the set, Sierra wound herself like a gypsy around the song’s melody - driving Cassadee nearly to distraction at a few points, so that she ended up focusing on the acoustic guitar she was playing for that song for most of the time. Luckily, though, the light, dancey mood was restored shortly for their last two songs - How You Love Me Now and Homecoming - and Cassadee was able to temporarily forget the irresistible sight that was a slow-dancing Sierra.

When the first run-through of the set ended, the one-person audience went wild, cheering and clapping as if she’d just witnessed The Who’s farewell show. “Dude, that was awesome!” she exclaimed as her hands stilled. “I can only imagine what you guys are like in front of a real crowd!”

“You kidding?” Jersey spoke up in reply. “You’ve got enough energy to be a full crowd yourself!”

“Yeah, I think we need to hire her as our professional groupie,” Mike added.

“I dunno what my band would think of that,” Sierra laughed, “but I’ll definitely come be your groupie at all your local shows.”

“You’re in a band too?” Elliot asked, immediately curious. This led into a brief discussion of VersaEmerge, their background, and their sound, before the focus was gradually steered back to Hey Monday’s practice time.

This close to tour, there wasn’t much to do with their practice time other than run through the set a few times, adding the last touches of polish to song arrangements here and there. So this they did for another hour or so, with Sierra dancing just as enthusiastically through every subsequent run-through. This in turn gave the band members more energy each song, until everyone was jumping around the warehouse as if it was a giant stage, Mike even swinging his guitar into the occasional around-the-world. By the time they called it quits, they were all as exhausted, sweaty, and giddy as they ever were coming offstage after a show.

As everything was being packed up again and transported back to the trailer, all the guys were commenting on Sierra’s added energy that day. Watching them laugh and banter with her, Cassadee was glad that her almost-lover had been accepted into the family so quickly. For that’s what the band was - a family. And as such, their acceptance of her girlfriends was always important to Cassadee. It appeared she’d have no trouble on that front this time around.

Once everything was safely tucked away in Hey Monday’s equipment trailer, ready for tour, Sierra and Cassadee parted ways with the boys and climbed back into Blake’s beloved van, Lola.

Reflecting on this strange relationship between man and machine as they pulled away from the warehouse, Cassadee commented, “Shouldn’t we return this thing to Blake at some point?”

“Shit, you’re right,” Sierra exclaimed, though her face showed only amusement at this realization. “Blake’s probably sick with worry about his poor precious Lola by now.”

Cassadee giggled as Sierra navigated them back toward the guitarist’s neck of the woods. They soon pulled into the parking lot of his building, and soon after had retraced the route to Blake’s apartment. This time he met them at the door, rather than bothering to step into the hallway to wait for them.

“Guess who I just returned in one piece?” Sierra teased by way of greeting, holding up the keys to the guitarist’s van.

Blake merely laughed dryly in response, snatching the keys from Sierra’s hand. “Why should I believe you?” he challenged good-naturedly.

Playfully shocked offense leapt to Sierra’s face as she turned to Cassadee for support. “You can vouch for me, right?” she asked.

Cassadee shrugged, giving up her neutral position of the day before in order to assure Blake, “We didn’t do anything to her.”

Turning back to Blake, Sierra raised her eyebrow as if to say, “See?” This prompted Blake to roll his eyes and relent. “Fine, I believe you,” he sighed. “But if you’re lying...”

Sierra merely laughed off her guitarist’s faux-stern warning, already beginning to lead Cassadee back down the hall. “We got to go, dude,” she explained over her shoulder. “See ya, Mr. Paranoid.”

“Where are we going?” Cassadee asked as, once back outside, Sierra began to lead her down the street.

“To lunch,” Sierra replied. “There’s this cute little diner I wanna show you. Then wherever you want.” Here Sierra turned a dazzling smile to her older companion, and Cassadee nearly melted into the Florida sunshine.

Thus passed the rest of the day, in a state of sunny bliss that left Cassadee forgetting, for hours at a time,the dwindling time she had left with her would-be lover before the road whisked her away. However, dwindle the time did, and between the charming diner, the girls’ subsequent stroll through the beachside tourist traps just for the fun of it, and dinner at a restaurant of Cassadee’s choosing, it dwindled fast. Before she knew it, Cassadee found herself returning to Sierra’s apartment to spend the last night before tour. The older girl had coerced the younger into calling it a somewhat early night because, as much as they wanted to prolong this precious time as much as possible, Cassadee knew she needed to be well-rested for the beginning of tour.

So it was that, shortly after 11:00, the two girls entered Sierra’s apartment and began to settle themselves in for the night. After a bit of persuasion by Sierra, Cassadee was coaxed into stripping down to just her panties and t-shirt to sleep in, while Sierra opted for a short, flouncy nightdress that was as adorable as it was temptingly easy to pull off. Cassadee swallowed against the arousal rising inside her, half hoping her younger companion would, as she had the last two nights, try to loosen Cassadee up to the point of sex.

Tonight, though, the younger girl seemed uninterested in any last display of affection, instead simply climbing into her side of the large bed and kissing Cassadee gently on the lips. “Goodnight,” she smiled before turning away from the older girl and pulling a sheet over her. Cassadee remained sitting against the headboard for a good minute, contemplating the back of Sierra’s head in the charcoal dark.

“That’s it?” she asked at last. “No...final attempt to get into my pants?” The words burned a mild blush across Cassadee’s face as they left her lips - she wasn’t yet used to saying things like that out loud.

“Yeah,” the smile in Sierra’s voice carried across the darkened room a moment later. “I feel bad for trying to push you before. I’ve decided to let you come to me when you’re ready to see what you’re missing.”

The older girl couldn’t bring herself to return Sierra’s chuckle as a twist of need shot through her chest. She realized suddenly that she was as ready now as she would ever be.

“What if...” Cassadee began hesitantly, doing her best to steady her breathing, which had begun to shorten, “what if I came to you now?”

Rustling could be heard from across the bed as Sierra shifted onto her back. “Well then, I’d ask you if this was just because it’s our last night together.”  
“And what if,” Cassadee’s heart was beginning to pick up speed now, “I told you that no, it’s not about that, it’s that I - “ and here the older girl’s voice nearly gave out on her, but she forced herself to continue, “ - I really need you, right now. And...and I want you, and I...I think I’m ready.”

Cassadee paused, holding her breath for a response from Sierra. It came an eternal moment later. “In that case,” more rustling as Sierra sat up on the bed and drew closer to the older girl, “I’d ask why I wasn’t undressing you yet.”

And with that, the tense calm within the room snapped, and the two girls’ lips were pressed together, hands buried in hair and crawling over fabric. Cassadee’s heart was pounding, those familiar nerves twisting through her chest right alongside her need, but tonight she was able to ignore her doubts completely for the first time in a long time. She drowned them in the taste of Sierra’s kisses, the feel of her nightdress sliding through Cassadee’s fingers, the mingled hurry and immense relief filling the air.

Before long, the scanty amount of clothing that the girls had on were strewn across the floor, and Sierra’s mouth was retreating from Cassadee’s, trailing over her chest and stomach, and then farther; Cassadee felt Sierra gently pushing her legs apart, and a moment later the younger girl’s head was between them, her tongue probing its way into Cassadee’s core.

The older girl’s eyes slid shut, one fist clenching in the bedsheets as she moaned at the exquisite sensation. In that moment, she could not fathom why she hadn’t let Sierra do this before. She was incredible at it - her tongue coaxed sensations from Cassadee’s body that she hadn’t realized she could feel before. Each movement of her mouth ignited another flame within the older girl’s gut, bringing her one step loser to being consumed completely.

At last, that point was reached, and Cassadee had to bite down on her lip until it nearly bled to keep herself from crying out too loudly. The climax that blazed through her was unlike what any other girl had ever given her; she wished for one fleeting moment to cancel tour just so she could experience that again and again.  
However, this notion faded with her orgasm, and her thoughts turned back to the present as the younger girl surfaced to whisper, “Your turn, sweetie.”

This is where Cassadee’s self consciousness returned. “I’m not...I can’t...do that, with my tongue,” she explained hesitantly.

“That’s why you’ve got fingers, hon,” was Sierra’s reply. “Don’t feel like you have to live up to anything.” And with that, the younger girl silenced Cassadee’s doubts in another kiss, rolling them over as she did so so that the older girl was now on top.

Taking this as the invitation it was, Cassadee began to trail one hand along Sierra’s body, heading cautiously but inexorably down between her legs. Once here, Sierra lifted her hips a little, encouraging Cassadee’s fingers into the spot where she wanted them. Here, also, Cassadee broke their kiss so that she could keep an eye on Sierra’s pleasure. She was determined, despite the younger girl’s assurances, to make this as good for her as she could.

So, as Cassadee began to move her fingers within the younger girl, she watched Sierra’s face, trying to judge from her reactions what she was doing right and what she was doing wrong. Sierra gazed right back, and before long a breathless smile spread across her face. “What?” Cassadee asked, a bit taken aback by the teasing edge to the smile.

“You’re thinking too much,” Sierra murmured. “I can see it in your eyes. Just enjoy it - I am...”

Cassadee knew she was right - her mind was always overactive at moments like this. So, reassured by the younger girl’s words, she tried to keep her mind occupied with other things - such as kissing Sierra. Cassadee’s mouth explored her lover’s mouth, jaw, neck, shoulders, collarbone - and all the while, her hand continued its rhythm down below.

At length, Sierra arched up one last time into her lover’s touch, her body tightening around Cassadee’s fingers and her final moan quivering through her throat before she lay still. A few moments of silence, punctured only by the two girls’ breathing, passed before Cassadee lifted herself off of Sierra and settled back onto the bed beside her. At this, the younger girl opened her arms to the older, and their sweaty bodies were soon pressed together atop the sheets.

“I hope that was good for you,” Sierra whispered.

Cassadee could’ve laughed aloud. “Are you kidding me?” she asked in reply. “That was...incredible. I just hope it was OK for you.”

“Don’t stress, Ms. Overanalytical,” Sierra teased back. “You’re better at this than you think.”

Cassadee just laughed a little in response, not quite believing her, but relieved nonetheless.

“So, Classy Cassie,” Sierra was continuing, meanwhile, “ do you think you could get used to sex with a hussie like me?”

But the older girl didn’t answer the question. “Classy Cassie?” she asked instead, giving Sierra a dubious look that she couldn’t see in the dark.

“Sure,” the younger girl replied. “You’re definitely one of the classiest girls I’ve ever brought home.”

“This could be a turning point for you, Sierra,” Cassadee was catching on to the teasing tone now. “I may have to take it upon myself to straighten you out.”

Cassadee could almost imagine Sierra rolling her eyes as she replied, “Goodnight, Cass.”

“Goodnight,” the older girl murmured, sleep already overtaking her the moment she let go of the conversation. The farewells of the next morning loomed in the back of her mind, but for now they seemed so far off. The here and now was full of Sierra’s warm, damp body pressed to hers, the still-fading afterglow of pleasure, and the gravitational pull of sleep. And for the moment, that was enough.


End file.
